


The Art of Deception

by cheerfulmorgue



Category: Sherlock (TV), The X-Files
Genre: Aliens, Case Fic, F/M, Post-Season/Series 03, Some Romance, both relationships are low key, idk gotta read to find out, or not aliens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 01:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14032734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheerfulmorgue/pseuds/cheerfulmorgue
Summary: Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are taken to London after a man disappears without a trace from his prison cell. The British Government has them to ask Sherlock Holmes for his help.





	The Art of Deception

Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder approached the door just like they would approach the door of a regular citizen. It was an oddly coloured door, maybe a dark blue or green, almost black but not. On it was the flat number: 221B. This was the flat of a famous detective, one who Mulder believed would be able to help Scully and himself in their investigation that has brought them out of their own country into the capital of their country's mother country.

Mulder knocked on it loudly and waited. A few moments later, an older woman with dyed brown hair and a casual suit jacket and skirt, both a dark purple, answered the door.

"Yes?" she said, not letting the door open the entire way.

Scully and Mulder showed her their badges, which they both got out of their inside coat pockets. She looked them over and furrowed her brows. She looked back up at them.

"I'm Agent Mulder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Mulder said, and then gestured to his partner, "and this is Agent Scully. We understand that a Mr Sherlock Holmes resides here?" The two put their badges away.

"Yes," the woman said, "In the flat upstairs. Sorry, has he done something wrong?" She wrung her hands nervously, concern in her furrowed brows.

"No, Ma'am," Scully said, "We would just like to ask for his help in an investigation. We believe that Mr Holmes would be of great help to us as we are, of course, not in our accustomed environment and he may be able to help us, not just investigate, but also show us our way around here so that we don't end up putting ourselves back in the case."

The woman nodded and opened the door wider. "This way then." She began to lead them up the stairs, Mulder trailing behind both the woman and Scully. He shut the front door behind them. "I'm Martha Hudson, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Mrs Hudson," Scully said.

"Is this what it's like, then?" Molly Hooper questioned as she ate from her Chinese takeout. "Finding your cases, I mean. Going through dull ones, dumb ones even, just so you can find the perfect case?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Sherlock Holmes leaned back in his chair. "Though, in the past, it would be John who would force me into the dull and idiotic ones."

"Understood. I mean, there could be a really interesting case disguised as a waste of time."

"Exactly right."

A knock came from the door and it opened. Holmes' landlady wandered in, a red-haired woman and a brown-haired man following behind her. "Ooh hoo." She said, as she usually did when letting herself into the detective's flat. "Sherlock, some nice people from the FBI are here to see you."

"Agent Fox Mulder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Mulder introduced himself once again as he and Scully took out their badges, "And this is my partner, Agent Dana Scully."

Sherlock stood up from his chair and walked over to the two agents. "Americans." He looked both of them up and down. "What are you doing in London?"

"Perhaps you've already heard, but a man was caught on camera walking into a train car and never leaving, though he was nowhere to be found inside of it," Mulder said, putting away his badge, "An invisible man."

Holmes huffed a laugh. "Invisible man? Impossible. A man that can walk through walls, perhaps – a magician, maybe. After all, magic is the art of deception, nothing more and nothing less – but an invisible man?"

"Mr Holmes," Scully said, "we are here, asked by your government, to investigate this case and we could use your mind to help us, now that you've been raised from the dead."

"Invisibility is impossible."

Mulder raised a brow. "So is the possibility of an average man surviving a fall from a 70ft building."

Sherlock turned round and headed back to his chair. "Merely the art of deception." He spotted Molly, who was listening intently to the three. He gestured to her. "By the way, this is Molly Hooper, my pathologist."

Molly blushed.

"Wow," Mulder said, "What a coincidence. Not only is Scully here my partner, but she is my pathologist as well."

Scully stared daggers at him and looked as if she were about to slap him, and not for the first time. "Did you just...?"

"Yeah."

She rolled her eyes. "I hate you."

He smirked. "No you don't." He looked back to Molly. "So, are you his partner?" He gestured to the detective with his head.

Molly fiddled with the sleeves of her rainbow striped jumper, "Well, no. I mean, I-I help out sometimes."

"The partner you've likely heard of would be Dr John Watson," Sherlock said, his fingers folding beneath his chin, "but he and his wife recently created human life and are recovering from the shock that is parenthood. I've asked Molly to step in while he is away." He stood up suddenly, causing Molly to jump in her seat, and began pacing in front of his fireplace. "Now answer me this, this 'invisible man' that you speak of has been locked up for nearly a year. Why are you just now looking into this case?"

"Of course you know that Sebastian Moran was arrested the day of the almost terror-attack in the London Underground," said Mulder.

"Yes," said Holmes, "I made sure of it."

Scully stepped forward, her hands folding in front of her. "He's escaped his cell."

Holmes furrowed his brows and stopped in his tracks. "Sorry?"

"Security cameras were rolling," said Scully.

"And not a single lapse was found in the footage," Mulder continued.

"He seems to have disappeared."

Mulder smirked. "Like magic."

"No such thing as–"

"Yes," Scully interrupted, "we know, Mr Holmes. And if you truly believe that, prove it to us. Help us."

Sherlock walked back to his chair and lowered himself onto it, leaning back and staring into space. While Molly had seen this look many times, Mulder and Scully assumed he was ignoring them.

After a minute, Mulder stepped forward. "Mr Holmes–"

"I'll take the case."


End file.
